Twitter vs Instagram

Everyone knows that I am on social media a lot. 

Specifically, Twitter (X), Instagram and Facebook. 

Staples High School baseball coach Jack McFarland even jokes that I invented Twitter. 

I use my personal accounts, as well as accounts for groups that I am involved with. 

A lot of what I post on my personal social media is high school sports related. 

For years, I have posted score updates on Twitter. Yes, I am still calling it that. 

Well, recently, in addition to Tweeting score updates, I have started posting score updates on my Instagram story 

I feel that this reaches a different, or at least a broader audience. It reaches the younger people, as well as parents who are on Instagram. 

Sometimes, I will just share my Tweet to my Instagram story, other times I will share a photo of the scoreboard, or a photo of the game and I will type the score on the photo/story. 

Often, I will just put the score, but sometimes, when I can, I will give who scored, or other statistics. I want to try to do better with that as it gives the athletes direct recognition. 

After a day of posting a lot of updates on Instagram recently, I put up a poll to see if I should continue. The response was a resounding, yes. 

I don't want to be annoying with it. So, I wanted to see what the reception was. 

Twitter has changed, and even before the change, I'd hear people say they were looking for score updates but were not on Twitter. For a long time, Twitter was the go-to spot to get local score updates. Now, it seems like there are fewer and fewer updates on Twitter. 

I'll keep posting on both, until told otherwise. 

It's also a way to be different and stand out from others. 

In terms of Facebook, sometimes I will post final scores, but more likely, people will get it from the blogs I post. Years ago, I would post in-game updates or at least final score updates on Facebook often. I remember posting in-game updates while watching the Little League World Series on TV years ago when Fairfield American was involved. Yeah, that may have been a little overboard on my end. 

Different ways to use the different platforms (or mediums). 

It some ways, it's about promoting ourselves and our "brand." More importantly, once again, it's about promoting the teams and athletes. 

Shameless related plug: Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @ShawnSailer for updates. 

Coaches Day

This comes from a soccer site, but applies to all sports coaches

I know I've written about this in past years, but when I work in sports, coach sports, and the fact that my life revolves around sports, I think this is important to write about. 

October 6 is National Coaches Day. 

It's a day to recognize the great work coaches do for athletes. 

According to NationalDayCalendar.com National Coaches Day on October 6 honors the men and women who inspire us to work harder and do our best.

I am, of course, going to take this from a local (primarily high school) perspective. This can, however, be taken from a professional perspective as well.  

Personally, I have been coached by many playing youth sports, worked with coaches when I was a student manager, worked with coaches in my job, and am a coach for baseball. 

I think this gives me a great perspective on what coaches really do. 

It's not just about the game plan and teaching the sport. 

A coach should inspire, motivate and be a role model for their athletes. 

It's about being there for the men and women. Both on the field and off. 

If the athletes are down, talk to them. Find out what is wrong. Is it just their sport struggles, or is there something more going on? 

Be there to support them through whatever issues. Sport, school, or personal life. 

Help out however you can. Even if that's just talking or being there for them. 

I feel as a coach and huge supporter of the student-athletes, that is a strength of mine. I care about the student-athletes. Sometimes too much (this could be another blog post entirely, and it might be). 

Support them and cheer them on during good times as well. 

In terms of actually coaching, it is a coach's job to put the team they feel gives them the best chance to win out there. That doesn't mean they ignore those who aren't starting or playing. Everyone has a role. If fact, sometimes, it's more important to pay attention to those who aren't in the game. Make sure they stay focused on the game and support their team. 

Every member of a coaching staff needs to know their role. The head coach is in charge. It's his or her job to delegate or not delegate duties. The head coach should make sure their assistants know what they should be doing during practices and games. It's also the job of the assistant not to overstep the head coach. 

Every coach, if they are doing it for the correct reason, is in coaching for the student-athletes. The best coaches are the ones who you don't hear from and don't make it about themselves. 

Thank you to all the coaches who do so much for their students-athletes. The appreciation isn't often show, but it is there. 

Statistics

Statistics are used much like a drunk uses a lamppost: for support, not illumination. - Vin Scully 

Statistics, or stats, are an interesting thing. They are what you make of them. 

I love sports statistics. 

I love being that "stat person" doing a scorebook* and looking at and compiling stats. I enjoy going back through books, days, months or even years later and looking at the stats. Yes, some of it is nostalgia. 

I've written about scorekeeping before.

*Yes, I am good with baseball, and okay with basketball. I need to get better with doing stats in game for other sports. 

That said, I don't need all the fancy, new-age stats, for the most part. 

There is a time and place for them. 

For coaches, stats only tell part of the story. The eye test to see how a player is performing is also part of it. 

In baseball, you can hit four live drives and be 0-4 and someone else can hit four soft bloopers and be 4-4. 

Now, people who are totally stat driven will say this is where exit velocity and launch angle and things of that nature matter. I get it, but I do not need numbers for everything. I can tell by what I watch. 

As Vin Scully said in the quote above, statistics are good to have for a broadcast, but don't need to be relied on. They are good to fit in spots. 

Often, especially at the high school and youth levels, they are non-existent. If you get them, it's a luxury. Certain teams have and share more than others, so it all depends on the program. 

This is why stories are important for broadcasting. There needs to be something besides just the straight play-by-play of what is happening in the game. Otherwise, it sounds boring and there can often be too much dead air. 

I talk a lot about stats in regard to baseball here, but it applies to all sports. It just seems like baseball is the sport where the stats are the most prevalent. Or maybe it's just that I am a baseball person. Or that I am in a baseball mode right now. Or both. 

Overall, stats are great, if used in the correct way. 

Top 100 Athletes

The greatest closer off all time. 

Everyone, especially media outlets, put together various lists. 

There can, and is, always debate over the lists. 

The latest list, from ESPN, is the top 100 professional athletes since 2000. I'm not going to go over the full list. Go check it out for yourself. 

There were 24 basketball players (male and female), 17 baseball, 15 soccer, 12 football, six tennis, four golf, four boxing, three track and field, three auto racing, three hockey, two swimming, two gymnastics, two MMA, one skiing, one snowboarding and one cricket. 

The top 10 is: 

1. Michael Phelps
2. Serena Williams
3. Lionel Messi 
4. Lebron James
5. Tom Brady
6. Roger Federer
7. Simone Biles 
8. Tiger Woods
9. Usian Bolt
10. Kobe Bryant

I have some thoughts. 

Yes, Tom Brady has seven championships, but he also lost two since 2000. And if it wasn't for the Tuck Rule, he'd have one less. Can we also talk about Deflategate? He's great, but number five seems a bit too high. 

First, how is the first baseball player, Albert Pujols, down at number 24. I get people say baseball is boring (I disagree), but you can't say that the best baseball player is the 24th greatest athlete since the turn of the century. He has to be higher.

Now, if you want to debate that he's the best baseball player since 2000, that's totally fair. 

Staying with baseball, Mariano Rivera at 59. Come on! 

Now I'll admit, I look at the "mainstream" sports more than I do others, and there are some terrific athletes in those non-mainstream sports, that often don't get enough credit. 

I'm very surprised there are more baseball than football players on the list, to be honest. 

It's great to see the number of women athletes make the list, especially the WNBA players. 

Oh, and I guess away from the sport issues aren't talked about when coming up with this list. 

Another issue I have with this list, for the "team sport" athletes, it seems to mainly take into account their individual accolades, not necessarily how they helped their teams win championship. 

The list is also too modern for my liking. For example, talking Packers quarterbacks, I'd put Brett Favre on the list over Aaron Rodgers, however, Rodgers comes in at 91 and Favre is nowhere to be seen. 

It's definitely interesting and fun to debate. Open to hearing your thoughts. 

Accuracy and Legibility

In a lot of what we do in sports, we deal with rosters, and lineups. This is seen in all sports, but especially in a sport like baseball. I'm going to refer to rosters throughout this post, but that includes baseball lineup cards. 

It's so vital that rosters are both accurate and legible. 

Accuracy means having everyone listed and having all necessary information listed. This means all uniform numbers and positions are included and correct. If a player switched numbers from originally listed, that's okay, just made the change. 

Whether it's the PA announcer, broadcaster, writer, or anyone else, we want to be accurate with what is being reported. The only way we can is if we get accurate information given to us. Sure, we can search around, but we shouldn't need to, and we are taking chances at trying to piece through information. 

If people are missing on the rosters completely, then we have to go searching for that, and we don't want to show up teams and coaches either. 

In terms of legibility, not everyone has the best handwriting. I get that. I'm a prime example. That's totally okay. Then type and print out a roster. There are many templates, or you can make your own. There's also a way, if teams use Game Changer to keep score, to print out rosters that way. 

This way, everyone isn't guessing what the spelling is and therefore possibly saying a name wrong. Yes, those in PA or broadcasting still might need pronunciations on certain names, but it makes it much easier if the roster can be read.  

Even for writers and people doing social media posts, it's important to have the correct spellings so the names are correct in print. Whether that be online, or truly in a real newspaper. 

I'm sure some of you are reading this and saying, why should coaches be expected to provide rosters. Well, when it comes to a sport like baseball, or softball, we can print rosters, if they are available, but we still need the accurate lineup cards for each game. We can't just guess that. 

Also, even if only numbers are needed, in a basketball scorebook, for example, include names. It just looks better. More professional. Honestly, include as much information on a roster as you can. Obviously name (first and last) and number (where applicable for sport) is important, but position, and then sometimes height and weight any anything else that are sport specific are always helpful. 

I could ramble more on this, and I probably have other things I want to say that I am forgetting, but I won't bore you anymore. 

Just Watching

Christian Smith batting for QU vs FFLD U 

I go to a lot of games, especially locally. 

At those games, depending on where, what my role is and who I am with, I am often doing something. 

One thing I am not good at doing is just watching. I am not good at standing and watching a game and just being a fan. I'm written about this before in the middle of other posts. 

There is no chance I am going to sit in the stands and watch a game. At least not for a very long period of time. I'd much prefer if I am watching to be leaning up against a fence, where I can walk, or pace, back and forth, depending on who is around and how the game is going. 

I normally have to either be talking to people, keeping score*/taking notes, Tweeting, broadcasting, coaching, or doing something to keep me involved in the game. This might come off as selfish that I need to be involved, but it's not intended to be that way. It's just the way I am. I enjoy the busyness, even if it's sometimes crazy and chaotic. 

*At times when I am not keeping score via either a book or GameChanger, I definitely have a hard time keeping track of exactly what has happened. When there are games, I am not doing anything, I feel lost. Even coaching, when there are a few times, I didn't do the book, I felt like something was missing. 

Today I went to watch Fairfield University vs Quinnipiac baseball at Fairfield U's Don ’63 and Chris ’88 Cook Field. ** I went to watch former Ludlowe baseball standout Christian Smith, who plays for Quinnipiac. While I stood down the left field line and talked with Ludlowe head coach Ken Geriak, I felt like it was hard to stand there and watch. 

Christian went 2-5, including a home run. Unfortunately, I got there late and missed the home run. Also, on the Quinnipiac team is former Warde baseball standout John Heitzman. Two tremendous people.  

The Bobcats came from behind to defeat the Stags 9-7, scoring four runs in the top of the ninth, in the regular season finale.  

**Fairfield University's Alumni Field was recently re-named the Don ’63 and Chris ’88 Cook Field after former Fairfield University Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Don Cook and his sone, the late Chris Cook, who was a baseball student-athlete for the Stags. Chris passed away in 2014 from Cancer. Read more from the Fairfield University website here. 

I always try to find games to go to, most of the time high school or youth, but I should try to find more local college games to do to. Whether that be Fairfield U or Sacred Heart, especially considering SHU is my alma mater. I feel like part of the reason I don't go to more games where I am not involved in, is just because of my struggle to be a fan. 

There will be more games to go to. 

Some I will be involved. Other I won't. 

I'll just watch. 

Supporting Friends

We could call this another edition of "Adventures of Shawn."

All season I said I wanted to try to get to a Newtown game to support my guy Dan Farina, who is in his first year as the head coach there. 

However, due to conflicts with Ludlowe games, there were very few options and I hadn't been able to make it yet. 

Until Sunday. 

I decided I would go to their Class L state semifinal game versus Darien at Newtown High School. 

All week people were trying to get me to come, and I figured I should. I made more of a fuss about reasons not to do than I should have. 

The drive, the rain, buying a ticket, etc. 

Of course I would pick the game where it rained throughout. 

But it was good for me to get out of my comfort zone a bit. 

Driving to Newtown was something new as I was on roads I had never driven myself. Normally I stick to the Fairfield County FCIAC schools to go to, with a few exceptions. 

The drive there and back, while using my GPS, was fine, with the exception of my tire pressure light coming on about five minutes from the school. It was also raining so we had to deal with that for the travel. 

We'll get the tire figured out. Hoping it's just because of the cold. Seems to happen on some of my longer drives in the winter the last couple of years. 

I also had to purchase a ticket, which is fine. 

However, it's not something I am used to. Honestly it might be one of the first times I have ever purchased a ticket for a high school sporting event. Normally, I am either working the game, covering the game, on the comp list, or have access just do to my job and knowing people. Here I was just a fan. 

I'm sure reading this, you are like, why are you telling us this. It's just part of the story. 

As I've said previously, I am not good at being just a fan. I always feel like I need to be doing something and cannot just sit in the stands. If I am just watching, I need to be standing up against a fence and often walking around. 

Thankfully, I was there with Sara Kinley, Mel Sulich, Craig DeAngelis and others so we were able to talk while watching the game. I also Tweeted (Or X'd?) updates, because that's what I do. I just followed their lead and hung out in the end zone with them. 

A different view for me watching a game, but it was also about hanging with friends, while supporting others. 

The rain was constant throughout most of the game. However, heavier at times. 

I was prepared with a rain jacket with a hood, booths and an umbrella, but for some reason, didn't decide to use the umbrella until the second half. By that time, I was soaked. Oh well. It's all part of the fun. 

Basically our view for the game

It was weird for me to be rooting for a non-FCIAC team against an FCIAC team, but I support my friends. 

Ok, I've buried the lede (or lead) of how the game went on the field. Darien came away with a 21-0 lead and will play New Canaan next weekend in the Class L Championship. 

Despite the loss, congrats to Dan and the Nighthawks on a terrific season. Tremendous first season with a lot of exciting times in the future. 

Happy I was able to be there to support, despite the result. 

Also, congrats to Tommy Howell, an assistant at Joel Barlow on their state semifinal win and advancing ot the state championship. 

Integrity

Integrity: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.

I'd like to think I have high integrity, whether that come in work, coaching, or life in general. If anything, I think I am sometimes too honest and do things "by the book" too much. 

This is not a bad thing. Just means I don't get an advantage others might. 

Two things I am passionate about, sports and journalism, integrity is important in. 

In sports, it's not cheating. It's playing the game the right way. It's playing hard and not playing "dirty." It's coaching the game by the rules. 

Depending on the sport and the level, it's more likely for more dishonesty. When there's more on the line, there might be more stretching of honesty. This is not right. I'd rather lose being honest then win by cheating. And I hate losing.  

Integrity comes from the top. If a head coach/manager/leaders of team have integrity, it's more likely the players and the rest of the team will as well. 

Integrity brings people together. It's unifying, which is so important when it comes to being part of a team, any type of team, sports or otherwise. 

Journalistic integrity is talked about all the time. Your sources need to be able to trust you. You need to write or talk about the facts in the correct way and not make things up. Make sure you cite sources. Don't take information from one person, especially another journalist, and act like it's yours. That's just not right. 

I know many journalists of high integrity. Unfortunately, I've seen the other side as well. 

This is the case with many different professions. 

Integrity shows a lot about ones character. 

Have high integrity. Good things will happen. 

A Different Kind Of Football

I was asked to work a football game tonight. A different kind of football than what I am used to. Futbol. Soccer. 

Ole Football Club, CT, as is their name on their Instagram, played Santa Cruz out of Massachusetts in the UPSL New England Conference Final. 

The game was held at Warde High School and some of the coaches of Ole are Warde soccer coaches. They asked if someone could do the scoreboard, so I was asked if I wanted to do it. 

Sure, good opportunity for a number of reasons. 

Make some money and learn some things. Also, some responsibility. 

Before getting to the field, I honestly had no idea the age group of players. I was sort of thinking it was "men's league" team even though I knew it was associated with Ole. It turns out from seeing the game and looking at social media, it was college age athletes, or thereabout. 

I had to open up and close the press box. I also had to set up the scoreboard. I've done the scoreboard at Warde a couple of times before, but it was always set up for me beforehand. I had to set it up and get it all working, and then remind myself how to actually work it. A few minutes and I was good. 

I was also asked about announcing the starting lineups. Yeah, no chance. Sorry. Nobody would want that and there was no way I was going to be able to pronounce the names correctly. 

One thing with doing the scoreboard, for each half, I was told to stop the clock with two minutes left in the period and the rest of time time would be kept on the field. 

From what a couple of parents told me, it's so that the time can be exact and then they can add the stoppage time to each period where it's needed. This was weird for me, but it makes sense. It's just tough because nobody knows how much time is actually left in the period. I am sure if you understand soccer better than I do (not hard), you have a better understanding of this. 

It was a terrific game. 

It was nil-nil at halftime (look at me using soccer terms) before Ole scored in the second half to take the lead. Santa Cruz then scored with little time left to tie the game at one apiece. 

Santa Cruz came away with the victory in penalty kicks, after the game was tied at the end of 90 minutes of regulation and then two 15 minute overtime periods. 

Santa Cruz celebrates the victory

Look, I am not a huge soccer fan, but a love drama in sports and I can have an appreciation for great, hard fought sports action. That's what we watched tonight. Watching more high school soccer, I have come to understand it more, and that has helped me appreciate it more.  

Good game tonight. Good experience. 

Sports Sunday

Just like when I wrote about "National Coaches Day" recently, today is another "day."

Today is "National Sports Day."

Why is it today? What does it really mean? Couldn't every day be "National Sports Day?" 

Well it basically is for this sports-crazed person. However, I felt as such as such a sports obsessed person, I would acknowledge it. 

Sports are my life. My work. My hobbies. 

It terms of sports today, it was mixed bag for my rooting interest. 

First, the Packers lost to the Jets. I hate losses, against anyone. However, the last two weeks, with the Packers losing to the Giants and Jets, it's even worse for those of us living in the NY-Metro area. 

Just having to hear it from Giants and Jets fans and hearing the talk radio and local TV talk about the Giants and Jets winning is not fun. Listening to the game today on the Jets radio network was very interesting every time something went in the Jets favor. 

The Packers are 3-3. Aaron Rodgers doesn't look like he has in past years. Looks like he has lost arm strength. He also doesn't have a great receiving core around him. 

Luckily, the running backs, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon have had success. If not, it could be much worse for Green Bay.

The nightcap of my sports day was much better. 

The Yankees defeated the Guardians in game four of the American League Division Series to force a winner-take-all game five on Monday night. 

Gerrit Cole pitched like the ace he is supposed to be. The Yankees bullpen got it done (unlike game three). Harrison Bader had another home run and the Yankees offense did just enough. 

There has been a lot of talk about Bob Costas, who is calling the series for TBS. Personally, I like Costas. I like broadcasters telling stories. Sure, there has been some odd things he has said, but overall I think he has been pretty good. 

Nobody is going to be happy with any broadcaster. Some will talk too much, some will scream, some will be boring, some will exaggerate everything and so many other things people won't like. 

For me, the broadcaster should tell what is happening in the game and also be entertaining. However, I want to be understand what is being said/happening. Especially on radio, but even on TV. 

I went more into broadcasting here than I wanted to. This could be a whole separate blog post. 

Anyways, to quote Jack Buck (yes, Jack said it before his son, Joe), "we will see you tomorrow night" for game five. 

National Coaches Day

 

Every day of the year now is a "National something day." Some days are recognize for more than one item. 

Some of the National days are more significant and more recognized than others. Some are more fun and made up. 

Today, October 6, is National Coaches Day. According to nationaldaycalendar.com, National Coaches Day "honors the men and women who inspire us to work harder and do our best." 

So many coaches have been impactful to me in many ways. 

From the coaches who I played youth sports for. Baseball, basketball, even soccer. 

To the coaches who I managed high school baseball and basketball for. 

To the coaches I now coach with and work with. 

There are too many, especially while playing youth sports, to name. I don't want to forget anyone. 

I hope as a coach, I have made an impact on other coaches, the way they have made an impact I me. I hope I continue to. 

I hope as a coach I have and continue to have a positive impact on the student-athletes I coach. Both on field/in the gym and more importantly in life. 

Coaching is about much more than the X's and O's for what happens on the field or in the gym. It's about building lifelong friendships and making a positive impact on someone's life. So many people have been that for me, and I hope I have done that for others. 

It's about being there for and caring about others in tough times throughout life, as well as celebrating great moments. 

Yes, winning is fun. However, it's much more rewarding to have great people around you. Both fellow coaches and athletes. Being part of a team and coaches that ONLY care about winning can be unenjoyable also. 

I thank those coaches who I have had the honor and privilege of being coached by and coaching with, for teaching me so much, not just about sports, but life, and for a lot of them, becoming friends for life. 

More on Warde baseball and other high school sports notes

This weekend ends the high school spring sports season, and with that, the high school sports year. 

I wrote yesterday about Warde's state championship win. What I wrote turned into more of a game story (no surprise), than my thoughts/reflection. 

I'm going to write some more about Warde baseball. I'm also going to write about other related items. 

I always get yelled at for being too much of a “Ludlowe guy,” even though I work in the Athletic Department in both schools. The last couple days I've been getting yelled at for supporting Warde/Warde baseball. I can’t win. I'm sure I will get complaints for writing this. 

It's honestly a weird relationship for me because of my love for not only Ludlowe, but specifically Ludlowe baseball. That being said, I love baseball in this town and this is a great Warde group. If it couldn't be us, I'm happy it is them. 

For whatever reason, this years Warde team seems to be one I have gotten to know better than others. Specifically, John Heitzman, Zach Broderick, Roman DiGiacomo and Jack Andrews, as well as others. 

There are additional guys who I've known previously from other aspects including having them as campers with Fairfield Parks & Rec camp or Legion baseball. 

Warde baseball had one of the best seasons you can have, winning both the FCIAC (league) and state championship. They finish with a 25-3 overall record. 

Fairfield Warde becomes just the 5th team in FCIAC history (51 tries) to win the FCIAC tournament AND the state tournament in same season #ctbase

— Pete Paguaga (@PetePaguaga) June 11, 2022

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So many teams dealt with off-the-field adversity this spring and really all year, including multiple teams in Fairfield. If we are being honest, the last few years have seen way too much tragedy locally. 

Part of sports is bonding together in the wake of tragedy and not that we want to see these tragedies happen at all, but there is something special to see how these teams and students bond together. These are not my stories to tell so that is why I am generalizing. Some of these stories have been made public, others have been more private. 

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Shout out to all the fans at games this year, especially the student fans. It was an interesting year, especially in the winter, as there was a back-and-forth sequence of who was allowed at games or not. It was never empty gyms, but at some points only parents were allowed, then at other points it was only a percentage of capacity allowed and then at other points it was full capacity. It was also different per town, so parents, student fans and everyone else, had to be aware of what each school/town was doing at that point. 

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Congrats to everyone who won championships this weekend and all school year in all sports. Job well done by everyone and best of luck to all the graduating seniors.

On to summer sports and then the next school year will be here before we know it.  

Sports Rivalries

Rivalries in sports are great. 

Sure, there are downsides, but there is a lot of good that comes out of rivalries in sports. 

From the play on the court/field, etc, to the coaches, to the fans and more, there is just so much that comes out of rivalries. In terms of the fans, it goes from being at games, to social media and more. 

There are so many great rivalries.  Yankees/Red Sox, Duke/UNC, Lakers/Celtics just to name a few. Or rivalries between players, both friendly and unfriendly. Some that come to mind are Tom Brady and Payton Manning or Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

Rivalries happen for many reasons. Some are just demographic. Others are because the teams played in the playoffs and championships against each other multiple times. Sometimes it's because of players on certain teams who stir up issues, or sometimes it has to do with the fans. 

Often, it's a combination of these reasons or other factors that arise. 

On Saturday night, the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels, known as the Tobacco Road Rivalry, faced off in the Final Four of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. 

The two schools, who are only eight miles apart, had never met in the NCAA tournament prior to meeting in Saturday's Final Four. 

North Carolina came away with an 81-77 victory in a seesaw game, to advance to Monday's Championship.  The game ended up being the final one for Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K). He announced prior to the season that this one would be his last. Congrats to Coach K on a tremendous career. 

There has been much discussion and debate about Coach K in the last couple days and there will be more in the coming days. Some people feel like he makes it too much about himself. He is currently the winningest coach in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history. Look at what Duke was before Coach K arrived in Durham. 

If Coach K, or any coach or player, was on your team, rather than a team you hate, you would love him. Because he would help you win, and he'd be yours. That's common sense. You also should respect their greatness, even if you don't like them. 

For example, because the the rivalry that has developed between the Packers and Seahawks in the NFL, I don't really like Russell Wilson. However, I have enormous respect for him and would take him on my team (If I didn't have Rodgers, of course). There are others but this is the first that came to my mind.  

Even on your on team, their may be players you don't like. But if they help your team win, you're Ok with it. For example, I didn't like Grayson Allen on Duke. But he helped them win, so I tolerated it. 

Those who don't like him or Duke are because Duke wins. Everyone hates Duke unless you are a Duke fan (HI!). This is the case with any team that wins, or has one. The same can be said for the Yankees, Patriots and others. 

Sure, they've had some players who could be considered "dirty" (See Christian Laitner or the aforementioned Allen). Every team has that though. Then you have the opposites. Those guys who may not be stars, but are great teammates and people. 

Rivalries are issues when they get personal. There is no need for that. The players don't need to get into personal items and the fans don't need to make real issues with other fans. Sure, you can chirp in some ways, but there needs to be a line. Sometimes the lines get crossed. 

Good luck to North Carolina, and fans like Mike Hirn, Charlie Jones, and others, as the face off with Kansas on Monday night. I still can't root for them though.....

Oh and Let's go UConn women tonight against South Carolina in the Championship. 

Volleyball State Championship Game

Ludlowe and Greenwich set for the for the state championship 

The high school fall CT state championships (excluding football, which is in December) were this weekend. 

The Ludlowe girls volleyball team was playing in the Class LL championship against the FCIAC foe, the Greenwich Cardinals on Saturday evening at East Haven High School. 

Ludlowe got to the state championship game by finishing 14-5 in the regular season. In the state playoffs, they defeated New Britain, Naugatuck, Conard and Cheshire to get to the final game. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they got swept by Greenwich in three sets. The Cardinals won by scores of 25-15, 25-12 and 25-17.  

Congrats to Greenwich on winning the state championship. The Cardinals add a state championship to their resume after already taking home the FCIAC Championship, as they defeated Darien on November 6. 

In terms of Ludlowe, the volleyball team had a terrific season, making it to the FCIAC semifinals and then making this state tournament run. Shoutout to Coach Tina Rembish on a job well done in her first year at the helm of the Falcons. 

The Nest, the Ludlowe student section, had a great showing with fan buses set up. Student sections are a huge part of the atmosphere of what gives extra energy to these games to it's always great to see a good turnout. 

Congrats to all the state champions who were named today across all sports. 

Swim and Dive concluded with opens tomorrow before football is the lone sport remaining for the Fall season. The regular season concludes for football on Thanksgiving and then the playoffs begin before the Fall season completely concludes the middle of December. 

After Thanksgiving, we turn our attention to winter sports. Obviously, I am looking forward to basketball around Ludlowe and Warde, but hopefully it's an exciting winter for many teams around here. 

5, 2525-15, 25-12, 25-17-12, 25-17

Competitiveness

A large part of sports is competition. I am a very competitive person. It doesn't matter what sport, game, level. I want to win. My competitiveness also shows my passion. In a lot of ways, competitiveness and passion go hand-and-hand. If you want to read about passion, read this. 

Sometimes, this is a bad thing as I look like a fool. Before anyone says anything, yes, I can look like a fool for a number of other reasons also. 

When I'm coaching, I am very competitive, whether that's as an assistant coach for the Ludlowe baseball team or coaching the Ludlowe basketball JV summer league, for example. I know the results in summer league basketball don't matter, it's about getting the players better and getting them opportunity to play together, but I still hate to lose. In baseball, I often show way too much emotion as a coach. There are many examples but a good one is the 2019 FCIAC quarterfinal game against Warde. 

I get too excited again! https://t.co/F8KAG5tman

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) May 18, 2019

Then there's also a game earlier that season (we had a lot of walk-off wins that year. 

 

Spotted myself. I get a little to excited as a coach. Oops. https://t.co/WUQMZACrgW

— Shawn Sailer (@ShawnSailer) April 6, 2019

When I am watching high school sports, I am also highly competitive. This is especially true when watching Ludlowe basketball. My fist pumps and foot stomps on the bleachers are two ways I show my emotion as the games are going on. According to Aiden Blanc, I usually bring energy that equates to 100 student fans. This is probably true! Once again, I look like a fool but it's my competitiveness and passion. 

When watching professional games, I am also extremely competitive and animated. Between fist pumps and slamming the couch (for good or bad moments) or throwing my hat, it's pretty clear that I show emotion when watching games. I do this watching all the teams I foot for but I think it's especially profound when watching the Packers. Likely because they've played so many nail-biting frustrating games over the years. I've definitely done it for the Yankees, and other teams I root for too. I do it both when at games in person, and when at home watching games on TV. I think I actually show more passion or emotion when I am watching a game on TV. Not sure why. 

I was like this when when playing sports too, whether it be little league and Jr Babe Ruth Baseball or Wakeman Boys & Girls Club or Rec basketball. I always wanted to win, often far more than anyone else on my team cared about winning. That's just the competitive nature of me. 

My competitiveness goes beyond sports (I know, you didn't know I knew anything other than sports. I basically don't). An example of this is when there are game shows on TV. One, I try to figure out the answer and get frustrated when it's something stupid. Also, it annoys me when the person who loses is happy. I'd be so frustrated and annoyed. 

I'm sure there are other examples. Overall, I am a very competitive person, sometimes too much. I love winning and hate losing. That's not to say I'm a sore loser, just passionate. But I also think it just shows my passion and how much I care....and how crazy I am. 

Missing Sports

I haven't blogged in over two months. I keep saying I want to blog more, but I just don't have much to write about, and don't want to write about news you can get many other places. What's the point? I need to be better at finding topics and just write. Write for myself. It doesn't matter who reads or doesn't read. It doesn't need to be sports (even though, as I say below and everyone knows, sports are my life). I want to continue to keep my journalism passion and sharpen my writing skills. 

I look at what Rob Adams is doing over at his blog, Exit 55, with Project 365+. He's almost at two full years of one blog a day. Or John Nash at The October Weekend, who first challenged Rob to Project 365 in 2019 and continues to blog often. I'm not saying I'm going to be them, but I just see what they are doing and which I would write more. 

Now to my main point of this post. 

I miss sports, especially at the local level. I realize what's going on in the country (and the word) with the COVID pandemic is more important than sports, but I am still holding hope that there is a safe way to have local sports around here. 

Connecticut fall high school sports ended in early November* and as of now, winter sports don't start until January 19th at the earliest. Hopefully we get some sort of winter season in. In addition, no matter what happens with winter sports, the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference) has said they will try to give as much of a normal spring season as possible consider the spring athletes lost their entire spring season last year. 

*It was a modified season, but we got a fall sports season in without much disruption and the athletes and teams got to have a fall sports experience, which is the goal. 

I see photos from people in other parts of the country where games are being played. It makes me miss sports even more. 

As I said to someone else, not only is high school sports my job, it's my life. As pathetic as that may sound. I live for HS basketball and HS baseball. 

Between helping out the basketball team at Ludlowe and being on the Ludlowe baseball coaching staff and then of course dealing with all the other Ludlowe and Warde teams as part of my job, there's not much else. There's still work to be done, and I'm able to get ahead on some things, but not as much as I'd like just due to the uncertainty of the seasons. 

I've enjoyed all the professional and college sports we have gotten to watch. From MLB, to the NFL, to college football and college basketball, as well as the NBA and NHL and so much more. I've been home more so I've watched a bunch and it's been great to watch. To those who say it's not real, or it doesn't matter, you're not a real sports fan. 

We will see what happens. Hopefully we have some answers soon. And hopefully there is more from me around here. 

Welcome to Shawn's Blog

As many of you know, I'm a writer. I write a lot about sports and sports related happenings.

With that being said, I decided to create a blog. It will probably be mainly sports but it may be other items as well. I will probably talk broadcasting and media and probably just random things I want to and feel the need to write about. (And by the way, this blog is called "Sailing with Sailer" and will have lots of sports talk but will have zero to do with sailing)

I have done some formal writing, including being the Sports Editor of the Sacred Heart Newspaper, The Spectrum, among other publications, but this will allow me the freedom to write about what I want, when I want. I hope I do a lot with this.

Thanks to many who have blogs and have inspired me to create this blog. Among those are Rob Adams, Susan Shultz and Sandra Began. There are many others as well. Each of these three people have very different blogs/websites to get many different purposes across. One thing they all have in common is that they are excellent writers.

As always, any suggestions on topics, feel free to let me know. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.